


The reality without you

by Cranny (bluem0rning)



Category: SHINee
Genre: 2min - Freeform, Bottom Choi Minho, Bottom Lee Taemin, College AU, Comfort/Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, I Tried, I actually need a beta reader, I love 2min :(, I'm not a native english speaker, M/M, MxM - Freeform, Romance, Slow Build, Smut, Yeah they switch, future smut, there will be the p0rn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 20:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14003718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluem0rning/pseuds/Cranny
Summary: It's the end of the first-year of high school and Taemin is ready to spend his summer days playing with his friends, laying on the sand of Uljin County and allowing himself to be bored out of his mind. He's been a good student during the scholar year, so he wants to enjoy a well-deserved break all for himself. This was his plan until a weird guy called Minho shows up, saying he was going to stay at Taemin's house for the entire summer holidays.





	The reality without you

_Some years ago_

June, Uljin County

 

«And that was it. So, tomorrow you will start the summer vacations» loud cries of joy interrupted Teacher Kim’s final speech. She should have expected it. It was the most awaited time of the year, the last day of the students’ prison, or in that period properly described as _hell,_ given the fact that it was just June and temperatures were already hot.   
«Hey, kids! I’m not done talking yet! We still have ten minutes of lesson left» she continued, trying to contain her young students’ spirits, but basically, they were already on holiday judging by the fact that paper airplanes started to fly as soon as she turned to the whiteboard to write the holiday assignment.

In the last line of the school's desks sat a kid with short black hair and light brown eyes. He was the only one who wanted to pay attention until the end of the class. Lee Taemin was what most of his classmates called “a bookworm”, but the truth was far from that. He simply put all his efforts during the school year, so he could fully enjoy his holidays, and by that he meant spending his days at the beach with his friends, or sitting in the shadow of a large tree, napping and simply feeling the light fresh wind from the South, giving him a break from the hot weather. He could already imagine himself doing nothing all day and lazing around his house.

«Well, dear my students» His train of thoughts broke when Miss Kim started to talk again «During the holidays I want you to have a good time, to rest and to do all the activities you all couldn’t do during the year» the students calmed down and listened to her, something told them she was about to drop a bomb.

«Nevertheless, I’m still a teacher and, as one, I want you to write a two-page essay about the new experiences you made during this break. Be creative!» and with that, she stepped sideways, revealing the initial track of the essay that she wrote beforehand.

« _“Summer, a great time to learn/do/visit…”_ Oh, come on Teacher Kim! We’re not middle schoolers anymore! Why should we write _two pages_ about that?» complained Cha Junghae, who sat in the central line.

Everyone, including Taemin, laughed lightly at his intrusion. As expected from him. Cha Junghae hated everything about school, except the girls. Ah, girls…they were the only topic he could talk for hours about and not get tired of.

Junghae was not the best of his friends, but still, Taemin enjoyed his company. After all, they’ve been knowing each other since they were in kindergarten and they got along well, even if sometimes the guy was a little over-the-top.

«You’re right, Junghae,» said Teacher Kim «Two pages are not enough to describe all the wonderful activities you will do, so let’s make it three for you and for anyone that complains again» she finished with a sly smile. Everyone’s jaws dropped and a heavy silence fell. Cha Junghae was totally speechless, not a single word of protest could leave his mouth. He couldn’t believe what he heard. His biggest nightmare just came true. He felt his face getting redder with shame and anger.

Then, the bell rang and Miss Kim walked out the class with her belongings, greeting the students and ignoring the death glare Junghae was throwing at her.

 

 

« _I can't fucking believe it_! How did she dare do it?» Junghae was fuming.   
He, Taemin and a couple of other friends were walking out the school building. They were heading home together like they always did after school. It was about five in the afternoon and the sunlight was starting to paint the sky orange and reddish. There were some pinkish clouds with weird shapes and a pleasant breeze was messing the boys’ hair.   
Taemin closed his eyes, pretending not to listen to his friends. He was trying to enjoy the last rays of sunshine for that day.

«Ah, Junhae-ha, stop whimpering about that!» said Kim Sanggyun. «Since we were dismissed you did nothing but moan about that, get a hold of yourself!»

 «Sanggyun—ah is right. Everyone  -well, everyone BUT Taemin-» corrected and gaveTaemin a light jab, making him snap out of his little bubble «In class got some extra work during the year, it’s not the end of the days» said Kang Chulsoo -or _Chokko_ to his friends. He had got the nickname the year before when he ate a whole chocolate bar by himself. He was so proud of that record.

«Chokko, you shut up! I don’t give a shrimp about the extra homework» the four friends looked at Junghae, thinking either he was crazy or just really dumb.

«Then, what is all this fuss for?» asked Do Hojin. He was not really getting the point.

«She did it in front of the entire class! In front of Oh Ara!»  he said. He sounded like he was explaining a tragedy. Taemin burst into laughter.

«Hey Tae, what are you laughing at? This is a serious matter! I was this close» explained, bringing thumb and index close «to have a date with her! And now my chances are gone!»

«Yeah, you’re right. I wouldn’t want to go out with a guy who got supplement work to do» teased Sunggyun, laughing at him.

«You jerk»

«Hey Junghae-ah, we’re just joking. I’m sure you didn’t look too bad in her eyes.» Taemin tried to comfort him. But he couldn’t stop sneering. He should have expected it. After all, school was priority number zero for his friend.

On his way home, Taemin stopped again to look up at the sky. The sunset was creating wonderful shades of warm colors. It seemed like there was a giant blanket over him and suddenly he felt so small.   
Small like an ant. Small like a speck of dust.

 

 

 

«I’m home» announced Taemin as he closed the front door behind him. He took off his shoes and put his bag down.

In front of the entrance, there was a corridor with a staircase at the end. It led to the rooms upstairs. There were two doors on the left side of the hallway and three were on the right.   
The first door on the left led to a small kitchen with a large table close to the wall. There was a big window above the sink, letting people see a part of the outside space. The cupboards were light brown, like every other piece of furniture in the house.

The second door was the bathroom. It was decorated with light blue titles that created beautiful effects when the sun, in the early hours of the morning, shined on them through the French window. It allowed a piece of garden to be seen.

The other three doors were the living room, Grandma’s bedroom, and a storage closet.   
The first thing one noticed about the living room was the small strange carpet, placed in the middle of the room. It was there since Taemin could remember and nothing -and no one- was allowed to be on top of it,  otherwise, they would have to deal with Grandma. She had never explained why it was there anyway.   
Two sofas ware placed one opposite the other and the television stood on a cabinet near a large door, that led to the porch and garden.   
Upstairs there were two guest rooms -but Taemin could never understand why they were kept that way because, since he remembered, no relatives had ever visited them.  
Taemin’s bedroom was a mess, utterly contrary to his mother’s.   
The house was pretty and ordinary, with enough space to allow more than three people to live in.  

«Granny? Where are you?» he asked, seeing the kitchen light was off. It was kind of strange because her grandma spent a lot of time in there, especially when dinner time was near.

«In the living room.» she answered with a flat voice and Taemin understood something was off, again, so he rushed towards her down the hallway.

«Granny, what are you doing?» he almost shouted when he saw her sitting on the sofa watching a random program on the tv.   
«You know what the doctor said: no television!» said, folding his arms across the chest. In response, she just _tsked_ him, like he said a stupid thing.

«Don’t “tsk” me! That diabolic thing is bad for your health and you know it» but his grandma showed no signs of hearing him. She still had her eyes glued to the colorful screen.

 «Let’s turn it off,» Taemin said while getting close to the tv. She didn’t react.

«Please, Grandma, don’t look be like this, you know mom and me are doing this for you.» Taemin tried to smile kindly, but the melancholy betrayed him.   
He felt his heart heavy watching her grandma being cold to him.

Grandma was an old lady, almost eighty Decembers dedicated to her job and family. She used to be a cheerful woman with a big, kind heart. She had married when she was young and had had a daughter. Her life had been a  quiet one, but at the same time really vibrating. Everything was a perfect tale until that cursed day when her husband never made it home.   
Ten years ago, the blessing left their home.

Taemin was only six years old when her grandmother had started to be physically ill. She had no options but to move in with his daughter and grandchild.   
Granny started to have the fever almost every couple of weeks and she began to lose weight quickly. Doctors didn’t know exactly what was happening to her since they couldn’t recognize any illness from the medical exams.   
She’s just heartbroken, please stay with her as much as possible, they said.

Then, depression came.

They had to hospitalize her. When the therapy had finished, she was much better than before. However, doctors had said she had to stay away from the technology of any kind because staring at a screen for a long period of time affected her mental health. It was like she fell into a sort of hypnosis and her brain couldn’t function properly.

Taemin sighed. In that period she was giving him and his mother a hard time, but they did not blame her. There was no way they could do it. They knew she was enduring the worst in the most discrete way. Maybe she couldn’t bear it anymore... A shiver run down the boy’s back at the mere thought.  

«How about we make dinner, granny? Mom should arrive soon» as Taemin asked, he heard the front door close.

«Ah-What a day!» his mother said. She took off her coat had shoes and went to the kitchen.

«Mom? Taemin?» asked, seeing nobody was there.

«Coming!» When the two reached the kitchen, Taemin’s mother noticed the blank expression on Grandma’s face.

«Did…Did she do it again?»

«Yeah» Taemin whispered. His mother looked at the floor. She nodded sadly like she was contemplating the whole situation and her eyes started to water.

«Let’s talk about it later, dinner now» said with crooked voice.

 

 

Taemin sat leg-crossed on the wooden floor of the porch eating a popsicle and listening to the cicadas singing. The sky was dark and the breeze was cooler than during the day.

He was thinking about nothing in particular, but at the same time, he was trying to keep his mind busy. For example, he was wondering what his friends had eaten for dinner. Or where that airplane up in the sky was heading to, if its passengers were on holiday or if they were flying because of work…

«Hey Taeminnie, what are you doing here in the dark?»

«Oh shit, mom!» Taemin jumped.

«Watch your mouth, young man,» she said turning the light on and sitting near his son.

«I’m sorry, but you scared me!»

«Were you so lost in your thoughts you didn’t hear me open the door? You must have a lot going on in that mind of yours» she laughed.

«Something like that» he said with the wooden stick in his mouth.

«Ah! Is it about a girl? It’s summer now, how about inviting your friends here? You know, you’ve never done it during school»  

Taemin felt more like his mother was asking him if he _at least_ had friends. Surely he did. It was just he had a weird feeling every time he was with them. He felt like he didn’t belong there, in that ambient with those people.   
He felt like a stranger in his own hometown. But how could he explain it to his mother? He wanted to talk to her, but at the same time, he was afraid she wouldn’t understand.

«We have a sort of…agreement, me and my friends»

«Is that so?»

«Yeah, we’ll meet at the beach and just stay there»

Her mom wanted to ask him more questions about his “friends”. She noticed the sudden change in the voice tone of his son, but for that moment she decided it was better to leave him space. She was sure if he really had a problem, he would talk about it with her.

She just wanted to know if Taemin was truly busy with his friends because she had a surprise for him. Also, she hoped Taemin would accept the news without much much trouble. He was a good kid, after all, there weren’t supposed to be problems with him making new friends.

«What if I say we’re having a guest here for the holidays?» she dropped the bomb.

Taemin turned his head towards her. It did it so quickly that it could have snapped off his neck. Confusion was written all over his face. He was about to ask whether it was a joke or not when the phone rang.

«Oh! I need to take this, it must be her!» she said with excitement. She hurried to answer it and left a very worried Taemin wondering what his mother was conspiring.

A guest? Could it be a relative? Maybe an aunt he never knew she existed. Or maybe it was his cousin. Although he had never seen him, he knew e had one because his mother talked a lot about her sister’s son in the past. Whoever this person was, Taemin wasn’t sure about how to feel. Should he have felt excited, like his mom, or maybe should he have been alarmed?

Sitting there and wondering about all of that surely did not help. He decided to ask his mother.

He stood up and returned inside, leaving the lights on. He found his mother still on the phone in the kitchen.

«This is an incredible news! You must be so proud of him! I can’t wait to meet him!» Taemin heard his mother talking on the phone.

_So this famous person is a “him”,_ Taemin thought.

«Of course you can! You know you can stay here as much as you want. I already told you this, you and your son are always welcome here»

_…and he’s bringing his mother with him…_

«Yes, dear, so I’ll see you very soon then. Good night» she hung up and turned to Taemin, who was dying of curiosity. His eyes were practically begging her to speak.

«So…I was talking with my childhood friend. She’ll stay here for some days and her son will come along too. He’s called Minho and is three years older than you, but I’m sure you will get along well with him, you two are both good kids»

«Ah…I see…» he said, scratching his head. They were quiet for few minutes until her mom spoke.

«You aren’t asking me questions, you usually do it when there’s something new»

«Well,» he started, looking at the floor «I don’t know how to feel about it» Taemin had yet to absorb the fact that a stranger was going to stay at his house. His summer plans were in danger.

«You’ll make a new friend. You two can go around the city, you never do this with your “buddies”

It was true. Taemin and his group had never really done something new during school breaks. They simply kept hanging out, usually going to the beach if It was sunny. They had never explored a new part of the city. They had never tried a sport nor comics.   
And then it hit him. Suddenly, Taemin wondered how he could spend time with such monotonous people. Why didn’t he realize it earlier?

«Then, how about Grandma? She’ll spend more time alone since I’ll be with this Minhyo guy! She’ll get worse!» he asked, snapping out his thoughts.

«Don’t worry about her, I got this covered. And he’s called Minho, Min-Ho. Please, Taemin, he’s a sweet guy and he needs a break from the stressful life he’s having. Please, try. Do it for me?» a little cuteness always worked.

«Okay, okay! I give up!» at this point he was in a bind. It was useless to fight against his mother. He could have never won.

«Have you met him before?» he asked. She sounded like she knew a lot about him.

«I met him when he was two years old, he was such a cute child. I hope Sohein, her mother, will bring some pictures with her. And you know, at that time I was pregnant with you  » she winked at him. «So, in a way, you two have already been in contact»

«I was a slimy thing in there» he pointed at his mom’s belly « And, technically, I was not even a human being when this happened, so your argument is invalid»

«I love you, Taemin, but sometimes you’re just too fussy» and they both started laughing.

Taemin was about to exit the kitchen when a question hit him.

«Oh, right. When will they arrive?»

«I was talking about this with Sohein earlier. She said she’s not sure about the day, but maybe in a week. I’m so excited, I can’t wait to see her»

There were other thoughts that were poking Taemin’s curiosity. But he decided he was done for that day. He wished his mom goodnight and stopped right in front of Granny’s door. The lights were off, it meant she was asleep.

When he reached his bedroom, he let himself fall on the bed. It wasn’t that late, but somehow he felt really tired.   
That summer was definitely going to be interesting and, very secretly, he couldn’t wait to meet this Minho either.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first fic ever. I got inspired by the manga "A town where you live"; I won't follow it exactly because I have other plans in my mind, but I'm here because of it.   
> Also, I'm not a native Ensligh speaker, so if you have suggestions about the grammar or other things, feel free to let me know :)   
> I hope to write something good and to know what you think about it  
> SHINee fighting!


End file.
